Boot Kickers
Heading into the Fantasy Football season the biggest question on everyone’s mind was this: Who do I spend my 15th round pick on? Greg Zuerlein or Stephen Gostkowski? Sure, Gostkowski […]
Individual Defensive Player
A Rule About Roster Configuration
We get it. You are sick and tired of the days where you chase last year’s best fantasy defense and get let down again and again. It is hard to predict. But why drop defense altogether? It can be an integral part of the game and just as impactful as offensive players if you choose to make it so. Here is your solution: Draft one (or more) Individual Defensive Players (IDPs).
How It Works
Teams can do a lot in the off-season to shake up their defense and address different issues. They change schemes, hire new coordinators, and even switch around player-positions at times. Things can get hairy quickly and even a bit flukey for fantasy purposes (defensive/special teams touchdowns especially). But individual players can be a bit more predictable. Like any position things like injury or suspension can happen, but you can also follow trends and regression like you would for offensive positions.
With this rule you add an IDP to the roster configuration instead of an entire team defense. When it comes time to draft, all defensive players are available just like offensive players, and points are awarded for things such as tackles, sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles. Playmakers become a priority and depending on how involved your scoring gets, these defensive players can have a significant impact week-to-week.
Nuts and Bolts
- Determine whether the defensive player will be position specific, such as LB/S, or if it will be open to the field.
- Determine how many defensive players each team will roster. For early implementation, we recommend just one or two.
- As commissioner, review and determine the scoring you will use for these players. Some sites have pre-set settings, and this can be done on your own or collectively in your league depending how involved all members are in the decision-making process.
- When draft day hits, the player pool will now include both offensive and defensive players.
Change Ups
It is your decision on how many of these IDP roster spots you want to include and also if you want them to be position specific. To ease into it, try just adding one roster spot for Linebackers. As your league becomes used to the scoring increase the flexibility to include different positions or have multiple IDP roster spots. Another fun way to increase the impact of these players is with big game bonus points. Similar to our Long Play Bonus Rule where offensive players getting bonuses for high-impact games. Bonus points can be awarded to IDP’s. For example, if a player records 10+ tackles in a game they are awarded a 5 point bonus. Use your discretion on these bonuses, after all, you are the commissioner.
Related Rules
So Flex Zone
They knowwwww better. And you should know better as well. Gone are the days where we put owners in a box and limit their freedom and creativity. “You must have […]
Superflex
You know how every word becomes better when you put “super” in front of it? Super Bowl. Superman. Super Buffet. See what I mean? So what does this mean for […]
Drop Defense
Less predictable than a family reunion is the DST position in any fantasy football league. A good NFL defense can sometimes translate to successful fantasy football numbers, but no expert […]